Just How Bad Were New York Knicks’ Point Guard Woes This Season?

After a predictably frustrating 32-50 campaign this season, the core question for the New York Knicks during the offseason will be how they address their point guard deficiency.

The New York Knicks’ ability to both disappoint their fan base as well as be predictably bad borders on impressive.

Coming off of a 17-win season in 2014-15, few expected the team to make any type of significant leap forward in the second year of the Phil Jackson experiment in New York. With Jackson striking out on all of last summer’s major free agents and only being able to ink a few solid but unspectacular players, most expected the Knicks to have some improvement, but still be a ways away from competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

To some extent, that’s exactly what happened. The team went just 32-50, fired head coach Derek Fisher and were the same chaotic mess fans have grown to live with over the last decade or so.

But, the team also found a way to be soul-crushingly disappointing.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the New York Knicks

After a 20-20 start to the season and with improved play from Carmelo Anthony, plus the emergence of rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis, the team actually looked like a group that could contend for eighth place if they got the right breaks. Suddenly, Phil Jackson went from bum to genius and the glory days were once again upon us!

Well, not quite.

The team proceeded to collapse in epic fashion following their hot start, going 12-30 for the remainder of the season. The team’s struggles led to Fisher getting the axe and being replaced by Kurt Rambis, who struggled so much at the helm that veteran players had to request more minutes for the Knicks’ younger stars.

While much of New York’s struggles can be put on the shoulders of Anthony, who missed 10 games due to lingering knee issues, the teams Achilles’ heel can be traced back to what has become the most important position in the sport — the point guard.

In today’s run-and-gun, 3-point heavy NBA, the point guard has essentially become the quarterback of basketball. Not only are they asked to run the offense, but there’s little coincidence that every team remaining in the playoffs has at least a serviceable option up top.

Portland? Damian Lillard. Golden State? Stephen Curry. San Antonio? Tony Parker. OKC? Russell Westbrook.

That trend continues in the East, with studs like Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, Jeff Teague and Goran Dragic all lurking at the top of the key. The simple fact of the matter is that if a team in today’s NBA wants to be a championship contender, they need to have a point guard capable of taking over.

So then, who did the Knicks have at this suddenly ultra-important position?

The 34-year-old Jose Calderon.

The Spanish veteran might not have had a bad season, shooting 46 percent from the field and 42 percent from deep, but his many deficiencies proved to be a constant hurdle for the Knicks to overcome.

Again, Calderon isn’t necessarily a bad point guard, even by today’s lofty standards. This is a guy who can shoot the ball from outside as well as anyone, ranking sixth among guards who started at least half of their team’s games this season in field goal percentage, while his passing and ball handling is unremarkable but reliable.

The problem is that as a player, he’s just unable to genuinely scare teams about his ability to attack the basket. Why? Because he doesn’t do it.

Calderon ranked 11th on the Knicks in field goal sttempts from within six feet, with just 50 shots, only 13 ahead of the rarely used Sasha Vujecic and more than three times behind backups Langston Galloway (182 FGAs) and Jerian Grant (186 FGAs).

That lack of driving on Calderon’s part often led to the Knicks’ offense stalling, as the team couldn’t penetrate off the perimeter and have a defense collapse in on them, providing a chance for a kick-out to a wide-open teammate outside for three, a play the Warriors have mastered.

Above, you’ll see Andre Iguodala, a forward, attack Lillard and force his way down to the paint, demanding the attention of Trail Blazers’ big man Ed Davis. Davis essentially has to choose between leaving Festus Ezeli wide open or allowing Dame to get steamrolled. This time, he chooses the former, allowing Iggy to make the lob to Ezeli for the easy two-hand jam.

While Calderon — and most point guards — don’t have the strength to essentially just lower their heads and push Lillard back 10 feet, most do have the speed to get around him and accomplish the same feat. At 34 years old, Jose is crafty enough to occasionally sneak around a defender, but lacks the athleticism to routinely keep defenders on their heels, taking away a massive portion of the Knicks potential on offense.

The Spaniard’s athleticism, or lack thereof, haunted New York on the defensive end as well. Opponents dropped 109.3 points per 100 possessions with Calderon on the court, compared to just 105.8 with him on the bench.

Calderon struggled mightily against opponents’ top backcourt options as well, as the Knicks allowed teams starting guards to drop at least 20 points on them 45 times this season, 11 of which were 30-point games. In comparison, the team allowed only 31 games of 20 or more points for opponents’ starting forwards and 19 for starting centers.

More hoops habit: Each State's All-Time NBA Starting Five

With the Knicks reportedly the front runner to ink Mike Conley this offseason, Calderon may be able to move to the bench, where his steadiness on the offensive end will be a welcome addition. If Phil Jackson can’t come up with a suitable upgrade over Jose though, it could be another long season for the Knicks and their fans.